Alien Romulus

 

      Co-written and directed by Fede Alvarez, this is seventh installment in the franchise. The film takes place in time somewhere between "Alien" and "Aliens" and is a very welcome addition to the franchise.

       Mr. Alvarez provides many of Alien's familiar elements but also injects lots of originality into the script. He creates a very claustrophobic environment filled with suspense and dread around every corner.  Once again, the film has a female hero but in this case, she is much younger (as is the whole crew) than past films in the franchise. Adding a youthful cast is just one advantage that provides a fresh take. Mr. Alvarez also finds new and very exciting ways to put the crew in danger, even though we are familiar with the Xenomorphs from the earlier films. The last act, in particular, is very exciting and filled with some very inventive terrors.

       The film stars Cailee Spaeny as Rain, David Jonsson as Andy, Archie Renaux as Tyler, Isabela Merced as Kay, Spike Fearn as Bjorn, and Aileen Wu as Navarro. When the film begins, Ms. Spaeny's Rain doesn't show much range but she quickly grows the character into a very reluctant hero. Mr. Jonsson is terrific as Andy, showing quite the range in a very unexpected way. Daniel Betts in also featured ,in an unusual role, as Rook.

        The film is great fun and if possible, see it in IMAX, which really enhances the sound and visuals.